A variety of edge punch devices are available in the art. These devices allow a user to create a decorative edge design along an item of paper, cardstock, poster material or the like (collectively referred to herein as “paper”). The devices generally operate through the use of a two-component die. An item of paper is slid into the punch device, and upon squeezing the handle of the device, the upper part of the die travels down towards and then through the paper, into the lower part of the die; thereby cutting the paper and creating the desired decorative edge. One limitation of commercially available edge punch devices is that their generally long horizontal shape creates storage challenges; that is, the devices take up a significant amount of room when stored, and storage space may be at a premium on, for instance, a crafts table, or arts and crafts box.
A variety of corner punch devices are also available in the art, and operate in a similar fashion. However, as the name suggests, corner punch devices are used to impart a decorative design to the corner of an item of paper. These devices also generally operate through the use of a two-component die. The corner of an item of paper is slid into the corner punch device, and upon squeezing the handle of the device, the upper part of the die travels down towards and then through the paper, into the lower part of the die; thereby cutting the corner of the paper and creating the desired decorative corner.
Edge and corner punches that impart complementary designs are available in the art, and are meant to allow a user to create a decorative edge along one or more sides of an item of paper, and to also create a complementary corner design on one or more corners of the same item of paper. For instance, one might use complimentary edge and corner punches that each impart a snowflake design along the edges and corners of an item of paper to create an item for a scrapbook, an invitation to a party, a gift card, or a variety of other items as will be readily appreciated by those of skill in the art.
A significant limitation of conventional edge and corner punch systems is that while they may offer complementary designs, they are not configured for use together in a manner that ensures the design imparted by the edge punch and that imparted by the corner punch align properly with one another and hence correspond with one another. In practice, it is generally the case that the design produced by the edge punch does not align with the design produced by the corner punch, leading to a misaligned decorative edge design. As the principal purpose of decorative edging is to impart a visually pleasing element to the paper product, the misaligned edging frustrates this overall purpose, producing a irregular visual impression.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a die-cut edge system, method and device capable of creating a continuous, corresponding and congruent decorative design along the edge of a paper product. Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for a die-cut edge system, method and device, wherein the corner punch and edge punch are easily aligned with one another so as to produce a continuous, corresponding and congruent decorative design along the edge of a paper product. In addition there exists a need in the art for a die-cut edge system and device that is compact and easy to store.